Chapter 2: Still have no idea what the hell is going on
by AlexArmin36
Summary: A continuation of The journal of Alex Armin, an explorer who doesn't understand anything. this time, he ain't flailing around the countryside in a wild goose chase. This time, he's planning to make bank.
1. Chapter 1

14xx/7/21

176 days since arrival…

I still can't believe it took me months to find this little shit.

Turns out, what the White Rabbit says is true. Hito is with Luka and they've been rolling together ever since then. While I was hopping states trying to find his ass, he has been chilling with this chosen hero in some kind of a pocket castle or something.

Luka doesn't strike me as a chosen hero type. He looks like a pretty boy to me, almost feminine in feature with his scruffy wild purple hair, soft purple eyes and a roundish soft feminine face. I remember seeing him once back then before that bitch of a rabbit decided it's a good idea to capture Richo right under my nose. Bastard didn't even wear armour! He was wearing a simple traveller's garb covered with a cloak just for protection. Even then the only weapon he has on him is a fucking iron sword. A FUCKING IRON SWORD! Did he seriously talk down every enemies he faces?!

His other companion at that time was a another Lamia, except this one is light purple all over. Her lower body resembles a dark-scaled snake and her upper body resembles a light-purple child. She has a long flowing white hair, a pair of bright snake-like yellow eyes and a pair of sharp elf-like ears. She carries no weapon, perhaps relying on magic instead. Wearing absolutely next to no armour or even clothing.

Hito is still the same, warts and all. His clothing changes though; instead of the usual puffy jacket he wore he now wears a simple leather vest over his black shirt which conceals several different types of handguns. He also has a green cloak wrapped around his shoulder. He was my Hito, or so I thought.

He was different, stronger even. He doesn't even remember who am I, probably amnesia or some shit. This place has the ways to fuck with your own sense of logic, just like home.

Doesn't matter. What matters is that he's alive and well and I have a base of operation to work with. Now's the time for me to prepare myself for my next adventure.

A pocket castle capable of housing almost 400 types of monsters regardless of their size or preferences complete with facilities and accommodation required to cater to all of these creatures without fail, all of this in a pocket castle that somehow manages to be compact enough to be carried inside a pocket.

Travelling into the castle is no different than travelling using the Harpy Feather. I was lucky I used that shit all the time or else the teleportation will probably screw with my brain or so. It has its own atmosphere separates from the outside world and is separated by some kind of barrier that manipulate both space and time to ensure that the size remains compact. The barrier reminds me of home.

Home…I miss it already. The fact that the castle reminds me too much of my old mansion back home doesn't help at all. The hard-stone walls encompassing around me felt cold and harsh, the lighting too bright like the artificial light inside a shopping mall. The air felt cold and clammy, what with the slime-type monster girls constantly leaving their slimes around.

The first slime I met greeted me at the doorstep with a wide smile. She reminded me of the same blue slimes I found back around the hill of Iliasville. They looked the same to be honest. To my right is a little convenience store manned by the same vampire I met in Illiasburg many months ago. She still wore that ragged outfit last I checked even though she got money to buy them. She told me that she spent all her money raising her little monster shops and she can barely afford to feed herself at the moment. Moved by her determination, I promised her that I'll make her the most beautiful set of dress I can create with my two hands.

To the left of the entrance and in front of the shop stands the reception desk where an old friend greets me once again. Teeny is there behind the counter, her job is to assign lodging and accommodation to newcomers alike. To my surprise, she said that she has tons of rooms to spare, perhaps 200 more. I asked her how can the castle provide enough for all of the inhabitant even when there's only half of the capacity here. I didn't see the farm they have inside and didn't know how supplies can get in.

The answer is magic, it always has been and it will always be the answer to all questions. They have a farm inside the castle, but the magic of certain type of Plant-type monsters such as Alraune hasten the growth of crops and influence them to grow fat and tasty. I asked her why can't a human learn the basic of Alraune's magic and do it themselves. She said that Alraune's magic is like fire magic, too lively to be reliably controlled by novice. If the growth wasn't properly monitored or maintained chances are the plants will become Monsters themselves.

I remember the lodging I was provided, simply a room minimally furnished with a simple oak bed with cotton mattress, a simple oak closet, a small table, three small chairs and an oak makeup table equipped with common cosmetics equipment. On the small table near the window is a simple black notebook with a fountain pen and an inkpot. For a magic-depending dimension they still used quill and ink.

Latina wasn't too thrilled living inside the castle. She was a wild being and she prefer sleeping in the rough as we usually did during our adventure. She didn't mind rest though, so she welcomes the lodging the dragon gave her. The problem is that she's naturally antsy so she can't stay put forever. She needs to run. Guess I have to let her run wild somewhere else once in a while.

Sophie is fine whenever she is, but she did attract the attention of the young dragon at the blacksmith near the convenience store manned by Vanilla. She didn't change much, that little dragon pup. Papi got a new assistant, a cute little phoenix girl. She's in charge of the armoury and provides mint equipment for a good price.

The slime gave me a brief tour of the castle where I can see what this place can offer. So far, I only saw the training ground, the courtyard, the library and the entertainment hall. It is bigger than expected, but I have not the strength nor the mental preparedness to continue my tour for today.

The sun may disagree, but my body comes first. I'll get myself some sleep and I'll figure out what to do tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2 (This is not the end)

14xx/7/23

177 days since arrival…

While travelling outside the castle is allowed, many girls here prefer to stay indoor.

"It's safe in here" said one of the Monster Girl to me earlier. She was a small succubus with purple colour scheme. Purple eyes, purple hair, deep purple wings, even her clothing was purple. Her skin was light though and her mannerism was akin to a shy preteen meeting their first crush. "I'll get cut down by adventurers again and again anyway"

If her mannerism and her scheme colour wasn't enough, her name was Remi, a possible shortform of my employer's full first name. They both were even the same height as well. The fact that her friends at her side have this massive pair of tits doesn't help either. I like tits; small tits, big tits, medium tits, they're all precious to me. But their size is making it hella awkward when I got a boner when that big-tittied bitch starts prattling about her techniques in such a descriptive and seductive way that even Sophie who was at rifle form grew warm at my back.

I have been walking all over the place today and I noticed quite a few things that I think I can work with. The castle is huge and they have lots of areas that are basically empty as hell. The only source of weaponries I found are from Papi herself and the armoury inside. Even then, the number of blades they have in store can only supply for a platoon only. If you're defending a castle or equipping an army you gonna need more than that.

Hell, forget about the castle. I need the guns! I know the structure of this world's magic well enough to use one of my mistress's more advanced technique long before crossing the sea, but magic requires manna, an innate energy derived from our mental concetration. Running out of manna is like running out of stamina; tiring and taxing. That can cost my life in a fight. Beside that, there's also the problem of me possibly botching a complicated spell and ended up summoning Chuthlu or something. I was lucky that I can remember the important steps when I was back at the sea.

With guns, I can fight without depleting the internal manna reserve I have been painstakingly trying to recover. I can put one between a demon's eyes from 500 metres away, close in his position and blast him with more leads, and if all else fail then magic comes to play. Magic has a strong offensive capability, but the cost of manna is too much compared to its menial and utilitial spells. That's why I only use them in place of conventional tools.

That, and the fact that Latina and Sophie kept leaching off my goddamn manna reserve. Latina sucked me off like a vacumm and cleaned my dick straight down to the balls while Sophie sucks from the exposed pipe in my manna vein. I was actually glad that I found Luka and was allowed to stay in the castle. I don't know how long can I survive with these two constantly siphoning me of my energy.

I talked with Papi at the castle's weapon store and she was estatic. The Dragon Pup is a crafter through and through, and her heart beats for new materials and weapons to make. When I offered her to teach her almost everything I know about gunsmithing she cheered so hard that I think she came a little. Knowing this world's logic, I think that really happened.

I also make myself useful around the research laboratory above the library. The library while huge is not a good place for experiments, hence the necessity for having a dedicated lab. I wondered why they put the lab at the third floor above the library though. These are not civilian laboratories dealing with genetics or germs, these are laboratories that deals with magic for combat purpose. What happens if an explosion happened and took out the stairs or even the entire floor under it? Or maybe a simple fire and they found themselves unable to jump out of the room without breaking a leg or two?

I found out that the laboratories were chockful of proper researchers and scientist, someone that I can rely on for proper information. They came in different shapes, one came in giant jagged fleshy jigsaw-puzzle-like rotten package and have a small deep purple necromancer with a pair of shiny purple ears and the most mind-fuckingly alluring eyes I've ever seen at her side. Her sclera was pure white and here iris were basically purple rings that were arranged like those strange rings you found when you cut a tree in half. It should hit uncanny valley level of disturbance, but it was alluring to me.

The zombie at her side was not. Holy shit that bitch is terrifying.

Well, at least that million-armed bitch looks at least fresher than that zombie cunt. Lily was her name, and she got one hell of a body under that green dress she wore. Shame that she has tentacles sprouting from her arms. It effectively killed all charm she has in my eyes.

I don't who's into this kind of shit, but tentacles creep the absolute shit out of me, second to rotting corpse of course. And bugs...fucking hell, those mandibles, their slimy body…gave me the shivers. A cockroach is a fucking cockroach, adding tits to them won't change my opinion.

Radio is the only thing I'm actually comfortable with. She is a robot butler with demure visage and blue colour scheme. She has light blue skin and her maid clothing was generally deep blue. I don't know why she has tits though. Robots can be alluring too, but it depends on the design. for her? I gave her a 5/10. Not really my taste.

Despite the score she was much easier to work with as well. She was a great butler who was ready for anything the researcher asked. She reminds me of the head maid I have back home. Unlike her though, Radio was meek and silent. However, they both share the same important trait; FAST AS FUCK, BOIIIII. She basically served the entire laboratory all by herself, zipping from one researcher to another bearing trays full of chemicals or whatever they are working on without spilling a drop.

Once I told the head researcher there that I was trying to experiment and learn of the metallurgy of this world's mineral I am free to roam the laboratory as I wish. The library provided a very good source of knowledge for my research. Wasn't as good as the good old internet, but this has to do.

Thankfully, the castle has the resources for me to learn better about this topic. Apparently, Luka somehow manages to collect a shitton of materials along the way and was storing them inside this fucking castle for safekeeping. Because most of them got outclassed soon by newer equipment the older equipment and materials was stored here for safekeeping, safekeeping as in letting the researchers play around with them for science.

I scoped out the barracks where the more militaristic MGs hang out. It looks like a typical training ground except indoors. It was a bit small though, containing only an archery range, a small arena, a canteen area and a small infirmary. Back home we would've had a bigger training ground than this. A barrack's job is to provide lodging for trainees or proper soldier in an army.

However, there is a staircase leading toward underground just near the infirmary. I was surprised that the underground was not only spacious, but it was well-lit. The ceiling appears to be made from concrete with gemstones that shone bright enough to provide lighting throughout the fucking room.

The first area that we found is what I can call as the dungeon. There was a series of clean holding cells that was just beside another cave that were all locked. Fortunately, the cell was empty showing that the inhabitant respected the hero too much to not break the rules. That, or the hero and the castle's warden was too lazy to capture any wrongdoers.

Granted, the warden is a dragon or something. She got her posse behind her ready to whoop ass in case shits hit the fan. No sane motherfucker would start shit with a fucking dragon and her posse.

Anyway, that prison side is the only part that is properly lit. The rest of the dungeon was not. The cave mimics the atmosphere of every natural made cave there is; earthy, packed, firm, dusty, gloomy and cold. At the middle of the natural earth cave was a small underground…river? Lake? I have no idea. The knee-deep water surrounding the small hill was provided by the waterfalls that came from said hill. However, despite being able to find where the river cuts off to, I can see that the water never rises beyond the knee. Perhaps they have a clever plumbing system? I'm not drowning myself to find out where their pipes are.

It was dark and gloomy, but at least it wasn't really that dark. They have gemstones that dotted the walls and the small stalactites that glows in the dark, providing dim illumination underground. However, the darkest one is just nearby a stair leading toward a cave made entirely out of rocks and marble. Grey instead of Mother Earth's brown. It was also one of the places that was entirely dark.

Not a single light was in sight and for good purpose too. This area caters for the nocturnal creatures, creatures that shun the light. Unfortunately for me, undeads are also part of that characteristic as well as arachnids. Fuck me, I'm not going back there again. It's unnaturally cold and the dark nature of the cramped rock walls around me felt claustrophobic and terrifying. It doesn't help that the denizen of this dungeon makes terrifying sounds when they chatter. The ghost whispers of conspiracy, the arachnids crawling all over the cave, their mandibles and the sound of their silk spinning in the darkness was the only indication of their existence.

The courtyard is much better. I can access it from the same cave I came earlier. To the right of the underground waterfall is another stair, this time leading toward the courtyard above.

The courtyard above is much friendlier. It was cozy. The green grasses were trimmed neatly and it has a soft, crunchy texture that makes it a good bed for afternoon nap under one of the numerous tall oak trees that dotted the courtyard. Similar to the cave underground, in the middle of the courtyard is a a small hill that acts as the primary waterfall for a large lake placed in the middle of said lake.

At the west side of the natural fountain was a section of the courtyard that emulates the environment of a desert. It even have a small pyramid to complete that aesthetic. It does create an interesting contrast between two biomes; one lush with life, the cradle of civilization. The next is a hot, challenging terrain where the hardiest survive. The sand here however was of the smooth and clean variant instead of the dirty and coarse sand I found near rivers.

Latina enjoyed the courtyard immensely. She usually does laps around the lake much to the other denizen's annoyance.

They also have an indoor beach for some reason. They called it a beach but in reality, it is simply an extremely deep pool that mimics a beach's aesthetic complete with palm trees and a small island just near the coast. I steer my way out of the pool out of fear of drowning. They say that there is always an MG mermaid swimming inside the water in case somebody falls in, but I rather not take that chance. They probably let me get unconscious first and then wring every drop of cum from my balls.

Beside the beach is a hallway that leads toward a large cathedral. I was actually surprised that for a castle that was primarily dominated by MGs they have a church dedicated to a goddess that hated them to her very core. Even more baffling is the fact that most of the church-goers here are MGs themselves! Nothing important of note here except the stained glass windows that depicts the choosing of a new hero.

Beside the hallway to the cathedral exist a small room that serves as the snow room. Back home we call it the winter room, a term for a room where winter climate was artificially created inside is domain. It has thick and soft snow that blankets the floor. And at the corner of the room stood a large ice building. It is a small house build with only ice bricks.

For the entertainment part they have a pub and a casino sitting side-by-side at the east side of the pocket castle on the second floor. The pub was almost utilitarian with its décor, not even bothering to at least change the wallpapers or even apply some carpeting. However, I realised that there is no need for such wasteful expedietion. The pub's main purpose is to give drinks and having expensive décor near extremely powerful and extremely drunk patrons would yield disasterous result.

The casino too appears to be barer than the other one I visited. The scarlet carpeting aided in making it classier in appearance, but it's hard to pull off a very classy establishment with only tables, chips counter, a piano and a simple stage. The stage was more lavishly decorated with purple carpets and red curtains. It is usually where the fashionista and idols practiced their idols stuff. Mainly singing and dancing. Some of them asked me to join, but I declined. I'm not a good singer and I don't think they can recreate my favourite hits.

The casino provided card games mostly. I was surprised that they didn't have that roullete machine I always saws in other casinos. It looks more like a family-friendly games room instead of high-stakes poker battle I known back home.

I played some Imperial March on their piano though.

Anyway, to sum it up. This place has the necessary part to keep it running, but can be improved on certain areas for extra usefulness. It has the canteen and the pub to provide food and water, an armoury as well as a blacksmith to make and maintain weaponries, lodgings, a nice entertainement and income-generating asset (casino, indoor beach, winter room, general store, jewellery store), a chapel, an infirmary, a barrack, a holding cell, a dungeon, library, laboratory, and a lounge.

This place has potential, I just have to get both support and permission from the denizen itself to start working. A steady supply of ammo and money is exactly what I need judging by the trend of my adventure.


	3. Chapter 3 (There's more coming)

14xx/7/24

178 Days since arrival…

Big problem, real fucking huge problem. I can't get home.

Strange, the idea of home barely crossed my mind throughout my adventure. I have been too focused on finding Hito first and find the exit second. Now that Hito is probably with me now, I just realised that I'm trapped here for real.

I didn't walk through a portal or something, I fell in a ditch and fell through the sky like a fucking nuke. I found a door in Tartarus rift before, but it was locked shut and I'm not ready to fall into the void yet. Doesn't sound like I have much option left. The books from the library helps little, but not enough. Many talks about the possibilities of another world and the creatures capable of crossing said world, but none really tells me how it worked without the help of an external godly creature.

I'm not gonna go and build a fucking plane to reach heaven and ask Ilias what to do.

The scholars told me of the Tartarus Rift and how it attracts other objects and sometimes beings from another realm. Promestein, a renowned scientist in this castle stated that I can not only travel through dimensions but also time. The problem is in making sure that we get the right dimension or timeline without leaving too big of a ripple to create a paradox in said timeline.

However, the possibility of travelling to a whole new world separate from this own is just astronomically low bordering impossible. Hell, she only manages to access certain timelines that is just a remix of this current universe we're inhabiting now! The fact that I, a traveller from an entirely new world that isn't based upon this world's logic alone is already a miracle.

Now that I realised that I can't return home the homesickness comes back and hit me worse than two nukes. I missed the cold interior of my home's mansion. I missed the sweet laughter of the frolicking maids as I slowly walked through the hallway. I missed my boss, whom I was closer than my own family. I miss them, and it hurts realising that I could grow old and end up dying here a few dimensions away from home.

This is not my home. I don't want to grow old here, I don't want to die here.

Hito didn't want that either, but none of us have a choice. The way home seems to be blocked and I haven't even found him yet. The only clue of his existence is from the entry White Rabbit bitch gave me a month or so, even then it was pretty vague of what happens next. It says that my friend will travel with Luka on Chapter Two, and I will be helping him out on his quest.

What is Chapter Two? What is it really? Is it some kind of a codename for a certain event that timelord used? What really is Luka's quest to begin with? He said he wanted to save humanity and monsterkind and shit, but what for? I saw many hostile MGs around but I also found many friendly MGs as well. Why is he so damn important? Why the hell that Rabbit bitch wanted me to go and help him out? Did she know something I don't? Wouldn't it be much easier to just tell me what to do instead of just letting me flail around with half-quotes and incomplete messages?

Not only that, there's also the chance of my Hito just flailing all over the place. The White Rabbit said that I will meet Hito on Chapter Two, the problem is that she never stated if this is really my friend. From what Promestein told me before, every dimension has 1 version of the original character from the original world residing in each dimension. For example, if current universe Hito here exist, then every other dimension derivative of this dimension will have their own version of Hito and vice versa. So basically, this Hito that is following Luka now is the Hito of this world, not mine from my own dimension. So the question still remains. Where in the red devil's name is he now?

I need to talk to Hito soon. Or rather, this world's version of my Hito. There's probably similarities or traits that I can glean to find out about my friend's fate. The white bitch told me he'll be with me soon, but she never specified when or if it was the right one. But then, this is the only closes lead I could get.

Hold the line Hito, reinforcement is coming eventually…


	4. Chapter 4

14xx7/30

182 days since arrival…

The metallurgy of this world is much simpler than I thought.

The normal ores here worked just like back home. The only difference was that each ore has a certain level of magic conductivity that allows it to be imbued with natural magic even before it was shaped into a weapon or something. For instance, gold. Gold are soft metal, softer that iron, yet their power dwarfs their normal iron counterpart. That was because gold has higher magic conductivity which allows the user's own strength to flow into the mineral, hence increasing their strength attribute.

For this reason, the whole weapon crafting scene in this place rely heavily upon the magic conductivity law rather than actual physic, hence altering the blacksmithing process entirely. The magic conductivity factor appears as soon as a mineral made contact with another magic-rich being. Like how plants absorb the sunlight to grow bigger and stronger, the minerals have the ability to absorb little by little the energy of the person's holding it, hence making it stronger than normal. Studies also shown that it doesn't even require that much magic energy to awaken their latent power. A little sip of the magic elixir in a human body and it'll automatically absorb the natural ki around the mineral itself.

The magic conductivity was the core concept of weapon crafting in this world. The main principles are simple; the higher the magic conductivity of an object is, the more powerful said object will be. An ore with high magic conductivity has a faster and stronger connection to the world's natural latent energy, giving unnatural strength to said ore. For example, crystals mined from the mountain creates a more powerful blade than a simple steel blade despite the crystal's chemical composition equivalent to obsidian.

My rifle is a special case. Due to its being a living being instead of being an ore turned into a weapon, it is capable of generating its own magic as well as receiving more magic to become stronger. Therefore, in an emergency I can borrow some of my rifle's magic energy to enhance my combat skills or simply endure more blows. Thankfully, I have first-hand experience with that principles. Unfortunately for me, it seems that she has been absorbing my magic more and more, thus depriving me of my more offensive skills.

A weapon with magic conductivity can also be upgraded, as in becoming stronger by altering the conductivity of said weapon to serve a more powerful purpose. For instance, if one wanted a lightning-based weapon, he should modify his weapon to be conductive to electrical power. Or if one is a pyromaniac at heart, he should modify it to be conductive to flames. Modifying the magic conductivity of any weapons is the key to not only strengthen a weapon, but to even change how it behaves and its characteristic!

It was fairly simple in restropective, very easy to play around with. It is highly modifiable, allowing any budding blacksmith to try their hand on enhancing weaponries. However, forging a weapon beyond the basic requires more than standard blacksmithing techniques and knowledge. For this reason, magical blacksmith is highly respected and soughted out for their ability to create magical weapons like the legend of old.

Papi knows how to make crystal, gold, iron and mithril dance in her claws, but she can't really imbue the weapon into much more powerful version of itself. She is a generalist, can do everything but never specialized in anything. A little bit like me in the past.

Projectile-based weaponries like guns are still under the magic conductivity law, so even if I made a fucking .50 rifle in this world it'll probably deal next to no damage to some higher tier monsters. If I want to keep my game up in this world I gotta learn how to imbue shit. None of these girls here knows how to blacksmith. Hell, none of them really have the knowledge to mass-produce anything in particular. Hand-crafted stuff is fine and all, but machine-stamping saves time more and stuff made from stamping is much cheaper to make by the bundle than artisan-made stuff. That's why MP40s are much more prevalent than the Thompson.

I can make a simple press in this place. The amount of metal and engineering would be enormous, but not beyond my usual capacity. The damned researchers here won't let me have a whiff at this place's supply though.

Hell, the only reason they tolerated me is because I know exactly what all these Makinas are and how it worked as well as how to make them. This place's culture emphasized too much on magic and heroes to do their work. A little bit like my old home, but at least the area was small enough for me to gradually change the culture.

Seriously, what happens if Luka fails in his quest? The armies suddenly drop the blade and bend over? I found myself asking that question again and again. What happens if Luka decided that he wanted to join the bad guys instead? There's a reason why I emphasized on weapons anybody can use!

I've talked to the leaders in the castle beside Luka of course. Strangely, the Medallion Queen also made her way here for some reason. Luka exchanged his medals in return of her being his companion. I asked her what kind of companion considering her beauty and her regal stature. She laughed it off and told me that she was simply another sword for the chosen one to choose.

Even Pope was there, the one from San Ilia. Turns out, the bombing was better than expected and he nearly died hence why most of his body was replaced with metal machines. He's a cyborg now! A fucking Robo-Pope! He joined Luka's party out of the mandate of his goddess Ilias. I asked him how did the people react to their beloved pope just up and leave the church like that.

He smiled and told me that the public can't even tell the difference between a clock and a statue.

I don't understand what he meant, that is until it hit me.

I felt stupid not knowing the difference between the robotic double and the real deal.

Robots exist in this place, the ones with actual free will and soul. Robots however can be manipulated unlike human being. Its appearance can be altered, their body changes. Despite most of this place here still stuck on the Medieval ages they actually have the capability of creating a robot with algorithm mimicking a human brain. Radio is a good example of that.

Robot can be manufactured, it can be programmed, and it can look any way you want.

That worries me more. Despite having technologies equivalent to the Renaissance era, they have access to high-tech robotic equipment that almost surpass the one back home! Pair that with their overwhelming magic capabilities I am worried if this world would invade our world if that happens. We fought off the demons with conventional weapons yes, but these people have the techs to create robots that can mimic a human being down to its mannerism and appearance. It means that they are capable of standing toe-to-toe with us if they wanted to fight.

This is serious. What is their real technological cap? Are they in the 20th centuries? The majority seems to be stuck in the Middle Age or the Renaissance, but why the hell does high-tech equipment exist in this place? Did all of them came from Tartarus Rift? How many of their high-tech equipment was homegrown instead of reverse-engineering from Tartarus Rift? What is their real technological power without the Rifts?

Granted, I have been spreading some part of our technologies in this world. But in my defence, I only gave them techs that are outdated or at their current technological level. Teaching them bullets is problematic alone, but it would take them a long time before they could surpass our firearm techs.

The Tartarus Rifts is more important than I expected. if they can produce techs that are much more advanced than our own then it is imperative that I should claim them for the researchers back home. I haven't seen anything beyond the 21st century equipment lying inside the rifts, but I can't take chances.

My smartphone is busted again (Wished I got Nokia 3310 instead…) and I'm not that good in making electronics. Mechanical stuff like guns and armour is my forte, but anything beyond a ham radio is out of my capability. Even the memory card is screwed as well. I was lucky I backed it up on PC back home, but I need a new smartphone. A camera is too clunky and a laptop is too fragile to be carried in the field.

Their store has no such things. They don't even know what a smartphone is. I have to hit up the Tartarus Rifts again to see if they belch out a new Samsung or something.

Oh yeah, I also need to build a machine press. I've been preoccupied with my studies that I kind of forgotten about it. However, the researchers told me that I need permission if I want to make one in the castle ground. Considering the attendance record of Luka in this castle I can safely say it will be faster for me to find Hito than wait for his blessings. He maybe the owner of this castle, but I serve the Scarlet Devil, not him. And I will do what has to be done.

After all, he can't protest if I build it outside of his castle no?


	5. Chapter 5

14xx/8/3

184 days since arrival…

I decided to go back to the abandoned castle near the Nameless Slums. The castle according to the source in the library is named Mithra, a castle that was known for its toleration for all kind of Monster Girls, even the ones that barely exist. Sophie used to live there, that is until Ilias decided to firebomb that place from heaven and shit.

The castle here will serve as my hideout in case Luka gone rouge or I'll ended up making an enemy of everybody I see. I just have to clean up the place a little. That is until I found the king and queen again. They no longer wear their regal robes, opting to wear simple worn traveller garb and covers themselves with large black cloak.

They have travelled in their land extensively and realised how fucked up it was. The entire region that they testify as green and lush with life is now nothing but a barren wasteland even a skeleton struggle to live. Their name forgotten, a little unfortunate footnote in the annals of history. Alone, penniless and forgotten, they returned home to figure out what to do next and they are running low on options.

To be fair, they have at least until the end of times to decide what to do. They're skeletons after all, and I don't think Ilias would want to come back at this barren wasteland that was once a prosperous kingdom. Which is why I choose this place. Nobody has a good reason to visit this area. The tall mountains surrounding the area is a natural barrier against invader as well as snooping eyes.

I admit, it can be frustrating to see your fruit of your labour are undone when you woke up. Just beyond the barren wasteland and over the mountainside is the Lost Forest, a forest brimming with life. It is a mocking reminder of the couple's former glory.

They were happy when they saw Sophie at my side. they said that they expected great things from a weapon of legend and felt happy that they saved at least a single weapon to fulfil the prophecy.

They were planning on rebuilding the castle first. They didn't have anything better to do and they figured that a home is a foundation for future plans. I asked them how are they gonna rebuild a castle without materials or funding. They intend on quarrying from the mountain itself. I asked them how, and then the answer came shuffling forward.

The pile of rotting corpses where I found Sophie is now a small group of zombies, their eyes glazed over and their movement jittery and stiff. They stood nearby the door, watching us creepily from afar. The Queen apparently has some points on necromancy.

They gave me permission to live in their castle when it finishes building. I have my doubts though; her helpers don't look competent enough. Pair that with the non-existent transportation we have a recipe for a soon-to-be abandoned project.

So that's why they're happy to see me. They realised the difficulty of transporting construction in this environment and asked me for opinion. To be fair, I've done my fair share of logistics back home but mostly on smuggling small amount of stuffs across borders. However, I saw only two options at that moment.

Option A: I'll blow a path through the mountainside toward the Lost Forest where they purportedly harvested their lumber and other materials. It'll be destructive to the environment and I'll probably offend a fuck-ton of Monster Girls that lived under their rocks, but we'll get ourselves a nice convenient little road. Besides, it's much cheaper and faster to do so.

Option B: I'll build an air-balloon. It will be used to carry the materials over the mountains without disturbing the environment. It'll take much, much longer to build. Besides, the material needed to make a single airship would be astronomical. I can't just go and conjure a football field length of canvas outta my ass.

When in doubt: Dynamite.

But of course, I asked them first if they already have made contact with the inhabitant of Lost Forest. They were taken aback by what I said, surprised that a small village deep exist deep inside said forest. They were doubly surprised when I told them that the village is consisted of angels and fallen angels.

They visibly hesitated when they heard about them. Their kingdom was ravaged by Ilias and her angels. It would be awkward for them to meet face to face again. To be fair, I don't know the stance those angels have now. The war, if what the royal couple said was true was a very long time ago, but immortals always have a strange sense of time. They could still harbour grudge against the Mithra Royal Family, they could've forgotten it, or they couldn't give a flying fuck.

However, I need a base that is not in Luka's pocket castle. I still didn't trust that midget. Whatever the White Rabbit bitch gave me always bites me in the ass, so I gotta take her words with a grain of salt. Besides, I owe them Sophie. That beautiful rifle saved my ass all the damn time.

I need to become the messenger for them to ensure that the angels didn't accidentally start shit. However, there's also a huge chance that I'll start some shit as well, so I gonna need a way to communicate with each other in case shit hit the fan.

Thankfully, I already have that answer.

I returned to Pocket Castle again, this time I know what I'm doing. Thanks to the newfound intelligence on minerals and ores, I manage to create an upgraded version of the military-grade walkie-talkie Sophie has. I used a special cobalt gem to enhance the radio signal of said equipment so that it won't clatter all the damn time.

I borrowed Radio's spare parts to make the walkie-talkies. Told her that I'm making an electrical magical project. The casing was made from spare wooden box and reinforced with some iron plating on the outside. I managed to only make two before the sun goes down. Thankfully, skeletons never sleep and I still have my feathers.

Seriously, these Harpy feathers are too damned convenient. They should've put more research on these feathers. If they can find a way to teleport large amount of equipment and materials at the same time safely then they could've solved so many logistical woes across the world! Even beyond!

Testing the radio at night is dangerous so we decided to hold off until tomorrow. Even then, the Mithra royal couple were impressed by what I made. The Skeleton King of Mithra stated that one of the reasons they failed to defend themselves during the war is because the total collapse of discipline and line of communication among his ranks. When the angels start to rush in it was impossible to order any soldiers that are beyond the castle gate to do anything at all. Even before then, generals can only plan, but he cannot directly order their soldiers to change strategies unless they too are in the battlefield, risking their life as well.

They were pleased by my work and asked me if I can provide them more of these. I agreed, on condition that the Mithra family and my family form an alliance with each other. As long as any Scarlet Devil Family member lives in this world, they are obligated to aid them as much as they can. In return, the Scarlet Devil Family will lend their strength and intelligence to aid the rising old kingdom.

On August 3rd 14xx, around 2200 hours, the Mithra Kingdom is formally an ally of the Scarlet Devil Family.

I asked them what is their name as I can't call them Lord or Lady Mithra all the damn time. The Lord was named Lord Espen Mithra, the son of Joachim Mithra. The lady's real name is Lady Dorothea Wilhemine, of the Wilhemine Family, which sadly no longer exist.

I asked them what are they planning to do now. rebuilding a kingdom requires massive resources which they lacked and they really don't have anything to trade with to be honest. Negotiating with the angels or anyone for that matter would be hard considering our impoverished position. It's like a starving man promising a wealthy man that he can give him abundance of food in return for some food.

They're planning to restart their own economy by creating a company. A government-backed company in this case. However, we didn't really know what to sell. Agriculture would take too long. They can mine around the mountain, but who's gonna buy it? How are they gonna transport all of that material out of the valley if we have a buyer?

In the end, I told them to simply focus on restoring the castle first with whatever they found around here. They haven't explored outside the world yet and the world changed too much for their previous knowledge to be obsolete. I need to figure out who owns the land around Mithra and what our competition will be.

For now, I need to get my beauty sleep. A long day awaits me tomorrow.


	6. Chapter 6

14xx/8/4

185 days since arrival…

I asked Robo-Pope for permission to enter his royal library to find records. He gave me his blessings, but he told me to be very careful. There are lots of book Monster Girls down there and he don't want any of his priceless tomes down there destroyed in a crossfire.

I went to Papi first to replenish my ammo. It was a good call of mine to teach her how to make my bullets a long time ago. In payment for my rifle and pistol's ammo I gave her more schematics for my bullets as well as some gold. She laughed as she received the paper, her eyes burning with the desire to create.

I reckon that she'll make an excellent pupil.

Latina left the AK back to her quarter, stating that her ears have never been the same ever since she used that back on the island. She asked me to at least reduce the usage of firearms around her as she felt that her hearings are slowly losing its strength despite how much herbs she took. I told her that I cannot fight them bare-handed and refused to do so. And we're gonna explore a library, so the gunshots will be much, much louder.

In the end, I compromised by using the flip-up bayonet that Sophie has. It'll be a good exercise for hand-to-hand combat against Monster Girls. She is now armed with a Mithril sword as the gun she has earlier no longer have ammo.

Scholars roamed the library halls, searching for specific books in their respective genre. I went straight for the business area, except that most of it were outdated. I found one about Mithra Family, and by god what the king and queen said must've been true. According to the text, the entire valley is a large country flourishing with monuments and farms populating the entire region. The book stated that the destruction Ilias inflicted on it was so severe that not even a single evidence of its existence exists anymore save for a single ruin that served as its main capital.

Last I heard, Ilias doesn't even show up anymore and the hated symbiosis relationship between Monsters and humans are getting even bigger than normal. If what the history books here stated was true, I just arrived at the moment of Renaissance. Thankfully the church is much more open on the idea of enlightenment unlike the one back home.

It's logical considering that they can speak directly to gods and can wield fantastic magics.

I found a recent record about business ownership around this place. To my delight, the Ilias Continent has very little competition to deal with. The Ilias Continent is still operating on Middle Age tech and business proposition. While the presence of roaming Monster Girls would make it pretty hard for unrestricted transportation the amount of natural resources I can exploit is astounding!

But of course, all of this fail because of the standard problem every general, businessman and logistic officers have to deal with; Transportation.

Compared to Sentora, the number of roads that existed in Ilias Continent is almost non-existent. One can argue that the multitude of trails that snaked throughout the continent served as roads, but they are more of a local variety created by the nomadic population inside said continents. For this reason, is why certain crime organization can exist.

Roads is the vein of economy, to have none is to suffocate economy itself. Roads provide clear and convenient direction toward a location, thus making transportation and travel very much easier. Roads are a sign of civilization, for only a self-sufficient civilization can create such costly invention.

Sentora have large official roads almost akin to a highway which allows one to travel between each city easily. The size also makes it convenient if one wanted to transport items. This is not the case for Ilias Continent. They lacked the roads that connects different towns with their livelihood. Perhaps they have it before, but now abandoned due to some unknown reason. The fact that each famous mine that supplanted their respective village was abandoned is the proof of the difficulty of starting a business in Ilias Continent.

Pornof for examples, have degraded from being a renowned iron-working village to a village full of perverts, a refuge for the absolute dregs of sexual depravity ever existed. Some may argue that I am overblowing it; but this is a world where semen is the nectar of the gods and sex is widespread and even respected in this world, and I've never went to a village outside of Pornof that reeks of semen.

The economy of Ilias Continent relies heavily on small businesses, family-owned stores and companies that harvest stuff from the forest all by themselves. Before I can take it over, I have to ensure that a proper route of trading existed in that area. I have to build roads and relation with each town if I wanted more equipment.

I also grabbed some books about how to find minerals and precious stones, things that many people lacked. The mines may have been abandoned, but I still need manpower to fully extract the ore inside.

I checked the records of ownership of that area. I was surprised that none of the mines in Ilias Continent was actually owned. It was owned by the respective village themselves, but from what I saw none was willing to actually fix the problem they have inside the mine. Perhaps due to lack of funding and manpower? Maybe lack of protection?

I spent the whole day studying in that place, maybe longer if not for the shouts that came from the entrance of the library dungeon. Curious, I decided to follow the sound to see a young effeminate man in long flowing blue robe arguing vehemently with the guard. The man has dirty brown hair and a pale skin that meant he never went outside. He kept demanding to get into the dungeon, saying that he has a tome that he must recover.

The guy is the librarian of this library, a man named Theodore. His green eyes are sunken in from lack of sleep and I can see the pallor on his pale cheeks as he demanded in the name of the Pope and his duty as a librarian to catalogue every book inside the dungeon.

I offered myself and Latina to be his bodyguard for the excursion. I reckoned free experience points for myself and my rifle sake. Besides, I didn't enter the dungeon before and I wanted to see if they have something of worth down there. Latina however, wanted to escape the monotonous hours of readings.

He told me that he's a magical librarian, so he can fend for himself thank you very much. The paleness of his skin begs to differ, hence why the guard was so hesitant to let him through. In the end, he relented. Theodore's rank exceeds his own by a wide margin.

The second floor of the library is much more presentable than the one before. I was surprised by that. For a dungeon infested with Monster Girls it is quite pretty looking, as if nobody has disturbed the area before. Unlike the cold hard marble floor of the library above the green carpet under my boot crinkled satisfyingly as I slowly followed Theodore from behind.

The library above appears to be more of an archive instead of an actual studying location opposed to the library below. The above has books after books cramming every single walls and shelves that inhabit the room above, making it claustrophobic in return. The underground library has none of that problem. The shelves are noticeably smaller with more room in-between each shelfs making it much roomier than the one above. Hell, they even have the presence of mind to decorate the walls with some beautiful picture that reminds me of Da Vinci's artwork. Need to find out if Da Vinci existed in this world or not.

I asked Theodore why this area is much homelier than the one above and why the archive was placed above instead of under here. He replied that the archive above was simply made first before the studying area which is the underground library area 2. The father of King of San Ilia was worried of the constant battle between Monster Girls and humans. He was afraid that all of his subject's knowledge and culture will disappear overnight if a disaster happened. For this reason, he built an archive with the idea of storing as much information as they can before it's too late.

Due to this action, many priceless tomes were saved during the war before. It was his son's idea to build an actual studying area when he first came to the throne.

I asked him how the monsters came to be. he told me that the monsters didn't came from nowhere, it came from the library itself. Some of the books that resides in the library has potent innate energy and being in cluster of same type of books only amplify said powers. Back then they didn't fully grasp how a Monster Girl was created, and their ignorance was paid in full.

The books slowly accumulate magical energy, absorbing the natural aura that came from the scholars that perused the books. Then they develop into Monster Girls from the load of magic they received.

He told me that the monsters here are weak to flame due to their paper structure. I asked them if they are weak to water as well. He nodded and told me that unless I can wield water, I better not do anything rash. I asked him if stabbing them with fire-infused blade would be better.

To be fair, I asked Sophie if she can enhance her little bayonet with elemental power. She tried to, and it worked. She told me that it was significantly weaker than the damage imbued bullets have, but it still does the job right. The blade which was previously white stainless steel is now tinged with orange glow from its spine and its tang.

Theodore told us that as long as we didn't open any book, we will be safe. Then one of the books suddenly floats, opens up to reveal a girl in blue pyjamas grinning at us as her massive fist appeared from the pages itself and clocked Theodore right out. Not wanting to risk damaging the remaining books in the shelves I opted to spear that woman like a fish. Took me a couple of stabs to get her down, but it got the jobs done.

Then they came.

Theodore manages to wake up as I and Latina fend off the waves of books coming to whoop our ass physically. I was actually disappointed that the design is just basically a normal top half of a woman attached to page of a book or so. I was expecting a lady entirely made out of paper or something.

I gotta admit, the guy can carry his own weight. In fact, he finished the fight by ripping up a page from a book and casting a spell of tsunami from said book. So much for not destroying the remaining non-hostile books. Better water than fire I supposed.

He told me that it was unnatural for book-type monsters to physically move toward their opponent and actively fights them. They usually wait in dormant laying ambush in the shelves, waiting for an unfortunate soul to come and be raped. They're like Venus Flytrap, sitting dormant until their victim flies into their maw. This makes him much more agitated, muttering under his breath as he slowly appraises each shelf there is of their volume.

I was still reeling from the magic power Theodore displayed. Not because of how awesome it was, but because how it worked. He ripped up a page from a book and then chanted a spell to which the paper burns up and then discharges their respective spells. It worked like a primitive version of Spellcards back home.

Each grimoire page contains set written instruction for specific spells as well as the magic that was required to run that spell. When a user utters the incantation, the magic inside the paper will carry out the instruction written upon the paper which will create the desired phenomenon.

It worked so much like Spellcards that I was actually scared that I might end up finding a card belonging to my boss. Thankfully, most of the grimoire page is just that, pages from a book. Unlike our smooth, sleek and hard card the paper's only discerning trait is its magic content. I made a mental note to try and see if I can interrupt the spell if I shoot the paper before the casting ends.

We found the book later on. Finding a book in a library is usually not that hard, especially if you have a record with you. However, ambush at every corner and the danger posed by unknown books equivalent to a hidden mine makes the excursion much slower. The book is just another area, this one has rattan carpeting instead of the green cushy one below. Unfortunately, it has evolved into a Monster Girl so we have no choice but to put it down.

We manage to return from the dungeon safe and sound. Theodore thanked me for my work and paid me handsomely. We talked a little bit about the world, especially about the war on Grangold. He told me that most of San Ilia's troop were deployed there, leaving very little men in this place. For this reason, is why Monster Girls banditry are on the rise. Before the war, the soldiers of San Ilia kept the road from Port Natalia to San Ilia clear and clean, hence making businesses flourish back then.

Now that their soldiers are gone there are almost nobody left to protect the road, let alone go on a daily raid. Monster Girls can now attack anywhere they want outside of the city and hide away in their hideout without the fear of retaliation. For this reason, many businesses are now investing heavily on outside protection, mostly mercenaries work. Even then, many crime organizations still exist in the fields, just waiting to snatch any unsuspecting victim from the road.

I asked him if this is why the Monster Girls are so damned hostile in this place. He said that they are naturally hostile to humans as we are their natural prey. In fact, he stated that it was safer now than before Ilias's disappearance. How so? It's because the society now welcomes Monster Girls in their fold, and this encourages many other to work alongside humans without attacking in regard. He stated that it was the father of the king decision that allows Monster Girls to visit towns as long as they behave. Due to this rule, it made it much easier for Monster Girls to assimilate with humans safely and positively.

Again, it doesn't mean that they suddenly became friends to all. They are still predators, and some girls cannot restraint their more beastly appetite, hence why some people still get devoured even in this day. The difference between the past and now is that Monster Girls are less of a threat now. the threat is the war itself.

After that, me and my crew decided to return to Castle Mithra again to see what they're up to.

Gotta admit, they really know their stuff. The rubbles are largely gone. The larger rubbles now pile outside the gatehouse in a quasi-defensive barricade. The large inner courtyard has been cleared of both rubbles and the overgrown vegetation in the royal garden. They discovered a patch full of Pitcher Plant Girls that has made this place their home. The royal garden has actual springs that kept the garden green and safe for millennia despite the acrid environment this world has. The Mithra family kept them around as they're the one who kept the water running as well.

The Pitcher Plant Girls are the size of a small hot tub. The body resembles the Pitcher Plant as they were called. The difference is that the lid of said plant is replaced by a woman's top half that is sentient. Her skin is green and her body has the texture of said plants. Her eyes however, was bright yellow akin to a frog.

True to what I deducted, they have regenerating pool of stomach acid inside its cauldron where the girl can control its acidity chemically. I grabbed a jar full of them for personal testing. It should be something that Sophie can imbue herself with, if she can.

I gave the Royal couple my notes, hoping that they know what they can do with it. Told them that I'll be in touch tomorrow as I plan to make more of the walkie-talkies. Makes it much easier for me to dispense advice on their behalf.

We discussed about what we have to do until midnight. We outlined our business plan, figuring out where we shall strike and what our expansion strategies are.

From what I heard from Luka and the people around me, war is almost inevitable. Either from Grangold or some overpowered dumb fucks wanting to bone every walking male in this world. I saw the war not as a hindrance, but as an opportunity. An opportunity to make the Mithra Family recognized again.

So far, we already have an established reputation with Monster Girls (Mithra was historically known for being one of the first Monster Girl's sanctuary in the world) so support from local MGs should be easy to get. This place is a barren wasteland, no good on agriculture, but a good place for factories. I just need the materials.

I need to gather data on what the society wants and the problems they faced if I want to make a product that I can sell. I have been travelling the entire continent, but I figured that maybe another look wouldn't hurt.

I also need to find manpower. Zombies are great at unskilled labour, doesn't even need payment. But what about skilled labour? Scientist, architects, engineers, blacksmith, people that can do specialised work that requires extra knowledge zombies clearly lack. Where can I find one in medieval Europe/Japan?

Our capital is almost worthless here. We need some serious cheddar to fund the first month of our organization. Problem is, where can we find loaners that are guaranteed to not fuck us over? This is medieval era intermittent with renaissance era, modern banking hasn't been invented yet! Plus, I noticed that the economic system of this continent is still mostly on feudalism. This raise another problem.

Location. The castle is a good defensive location. Too bad it's a shitty company location. It's cut off from civilization and the nearest form of said civilization is a village of thieves. We need to build our company at the middle of the continent to ensure that we can properly organize and coordinate our workers on the field. Problem is, this is a feudalism era. There's probably a shit-ton of land in this continent that actually belongs to some obscure lord or barons probably crusading in Grangold or having anal sex with the local MGs. They probably demand some kind of compensation or outright submission if we even dare to start a small shack in their supposed-land.

We also need to find a way to market the goods to the consumer base without the use of internet or modern transportation. Thankfully, majority are literate enough to read and write so we are not truly handicapped yet. Even then, the logistical hurdle that we gotta face to market our stuff and sell it would be herculean in difficulty.

In the end, we came to the conclusion that trying to start a company or even a legal organization alone would be too much trouble. So, what's our last decision?

Fuck it, let's fucking go.

That nihilistic complaining nature is what stopped many potential Einstein, Planck or Marie Curie' from standing up and taking risks. I'm not letting some minor inconveniences gets in the way of making a new branch for the SDM to operate.

We decided that our crazy ventures gonna need more time set up before we do anything solid for now. The king and queen asked me to try and find their old allies, or their next of kin considering how long they have been dead. They also asked me to help doing networking for their kingdom.

They cannot leave their zombies out for long or else they rot and we will lose our only source of free manual labour that has no despicable union rights to make things harder for us corporates. Finding a good necromancer to take care of them would be on my first priority list. Unless I found a way to extend radio range I cannot just walk to any kings and expect them to believe that I am an envoy from a dead state.

Tomorrow is gonna be a busy day….


	7. Chapter 7

The entire area of the Pocket Castle is now dark from the cloud that now covers the entirety of the artificial sky above the castle, creating a much-needed gloom for the inhabitant to rest and recover from the blinding light above. The cloud takes the place of the moon in this pocket dimension. Even then, it proves itself worthy of being the night's replacement.

Now would be the time where the diurnal creatures rest, for it is equivalent to midnight for the castle inhabitant. As the castle morning upkeep checks out in the evening, the night sentinel watches the night.

One of them, a creature of morning but a night owl by habit sat comfortably in the castle's library. The light from the lamp on the oak wood table shined upon the open tome which Alex has been busy perusing. He was all alone except an eldritch abomination that stood behind the library counter just a few metres away from him. He now wears a simple shirt and trouser, but over the shirt is a thick vest woven from leather and chainmail. At his hip is a belt that holds his ammunition as well as his pistol.

He quietly yawns as the finger on the clock crawls slowly forward. He slowly reaches for the cup of coffee at its side and then decided against it. He has found an interesting passage in the tome so the hand grasped the pen instead.

The sharp fountain pen scratches the surface of the thick black book at his side, slowly filling up the dirty yet strong paper inside with almost unintelligible handwriting. Finding old allies proved to be very difficult indeed. He was glad that the noble's culture was obsessive on tracing ancestry for trying to find the great-granddaughter of a duke close to Lord Espen would be next to impossible in a land devoid of internet.

Even then, his effort seems to be of no use in the end. Most of the lords are fighting in Grangold, thus leaving their wife and viziers to handle their state. Most of them lost their life during the war. Hell, some of them has lost their noble lineage due to strife and instability, becoming adventurers on the road.

At least adventurers are easier to persuade. The one who still held land under their grips, the one who kept their master's land under their protection are the one with the most to lose, and very little to gain. He cannot appeal to them via bloodline, so what can he offer to gain their loyalty?

His pen stopped as he heard another pair of boots on the carpet. It was lighter than the boot that his beloved rifle usually wore, so he deduced that it was somebody else. His hand then crept toward the weapon at his hip, wondering if the newcomer has ill-intention for him. After all, he's surrounded by them.

"Haven't slept yet?"

The voice, it tickles his memory. It was almost bored, flat and monotone. The voice, which he has sought out for months in this maddening world. The voice, which he promised that he will rescue from this world. Yet, it didn't really belong to the one whom he searches for.

"Got some work to do here" Alex replied softly.

"uhuh" Hito replied with a deadpan tone.

Hito didn't change much in his eyes. His eyes are still emerald green, his hair is a messy bramble of fresh grass, his skin still the same pale canvas that has captivated someone's heart a long time ago. Yet, he knows that this one is not him. A doppelganger masquerading as his protégé.

The air was so thick between the men that one can cut it with a knife and made fresh butter from its carcass. Alex was wary of him. He knew that this fake Hito is his key to finding his old friend, hence making him valuable to him. Yet he knows that his allegiance lies on Luka and not him. He still doesn't trust that midget enough. This Hito felt the same thing too.

The green-haired adventurer looked at the tomes which Alex has been perusing for hours now. tomes of ancestry, business laws, land owners, the likes. Hito noticed the book which he appears to be writing a complex formula or even pure garbage hidden behind chicken scratch.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not in an interrogative way mind you, but in a throwaway sentence, an ice-breaker to break the awkward artic between them.

"Looking for my buddy" Alex replied. "These are names that I think knows where he resides"

"On what basis?" Hito asked again.

"Not much" Alex confessed. "I figured out that he probably seeks asylum under a lordship or barons like what I'm doing now for protection against the element. Unlike me, he doesn't have the expertise to craft weapons or the skills to survive long enough on his own. I have lots of helps along the way, from the notes I gather beforehand, he doesn't have the same luxury"

Hito nodded at his reasoning. It does make sense. Lords and barons are by tradition must be expert fighters for they are the one who will provide protection to their subordinate, the servants merely do the work that are beneath him/her. If he is a terrified man who are living in a hostile land all alone with ammo running out and the only prospect of work is to either becomes a villager (forget about travelling all together) or becomes an adventurer (jumps into the very situation he wanted to escape) he would've chosen the former.

By serving underneath a baron, he will automatically have food and shelter, protection from the local MGs element, and able to collect information from the locals about the surrounding area. It is by far, a very lucrative deal for someone who is alone and in danger of everything around him.

"I see" Hito replied. "But Alex, most of the lords are fighting in Grangold. How are you going to ask them where your friend might live?"

"they probably have their own secretaries or bean-counters doing the paperwork. I'll just ask them that"

Hito nodded at his reply. In a way, he is actually impressed by his dedication to find his counterpart. If what his Centaur companion said was true, he actually explored the entire Ilias Continent as well as its hidden parts inaccessible by normal adventurers just for one man. It reminded him of Luka and his dedication to find his long-lost father.

This also becomes a hot speculation for the inhabitant of the castle. Who is Hito to him? Some says that Alex is simply a good friend of him, some says that he is his son, some says the he is the father, but as because there is no similarity between him and Alex (they used Luka's Hito as benchmark) that rumour lost its power.

The one strong rumour is that Hito is actually his lover, which implies that Alex is gay as fuck. Considering the demographic of this castle, that rumour gained traction. But there are some sects from the pious follower of Ilias who believed that Hito may simply be his wife. After all, what's the evidence that this Hito is a boy?

But then again, his usage of pronouns disproved the church once more and laid their rumours to rest, leaving only one atop the pedestal.

"Have you seen anything on your journey out there?" Alex asked.

"I've seen many things during my travel Alex, please be more specific" Hito replied.

Alex sighed again and thus replied. "Have you seen my buddy Hito? Or any clues where he might be?"

"Perhaps" Hito replied. Alex perked up at his reply and stared at him with anticipation. What news does he carry? "Before that, I need to ask you something"

"Shoot" Alex replied curtly.

"You still don't trust Luka, didn't you?"

Alex's face was impassive, yet internally he was alarmed by his words. "On what basis?"

"Just a hunch"

Alex groaned at his noncommittal reply. "A hunch ain't enough for a verdict"

"Yes. But it was enough for a further investigation" Hito countered. "There are some alarming situations unfolding outside the world which may or may not point in our favour, so I have to ensure that nothing jeopardize our quest at our part"

"What makes you think I'm a goddamn liability?" Alex asked gruffly. "I was even destined by this Rabbit to help you all out"

"And that makes it much more suspicious" Hito replied gravely. "We still didn't know the full extent of her power, let alone her full motive considering that she's the one who manages to shrink Alice down to her child state. As far as we concerned, your quest has nothing to do with our own" He then sighed again. "However, Luka made a bad habit of just accepting anybody and their mother joins our party regardless of their previous allegiance"

"I can see your point" Alex replied. "Luka kept accepting people into his castle without even checking their background out. I'm surprised that this castle wasn't sabotaged by an inside man at this point"

"See my problem?" Hito replied. "Our quests brought us from the highest of the sky to the lowest depth of earth, we made enemies from both stations and we have witnessed one world died in front of our eyes. Yet it falls on me to ensure that no traitors or spies enter our midst"

"So, you're on spy-catching duty" Alex replied off-hand. "Anything I can help you with? I can keep an eye out for some men"

"No need for that" Hito replied curtly. "However, I just wanted to tell you that in this tumultuous time, we all gotta play our parts. We cannot work alone, considering the odds that are stacked against us. As an outsider, I believe that you can help me out a little bit"

"Depends on the help" Alex replied gravely. He doesn't like where this is going.

"We cannot just invite everybody to join us, that is true. However, we still need capable people to achieve our objectives. Scientist, blacksmiths, heroes, the likes. Luka unfortunately, uses his penis to choose his companions rather than his mind"

Alex chuckled softly at Hito's answer. It sounded idiotic, but by the scarlet devil it makes sense. Why the hell there are so many Monster Girls that serves no other purpose than being decoration in the castle to begin with? Then again, he's still a kid. Chosen by the gods or not, only experience can change a man's mind.

"Who do you have in mind?" Alex asked with a smile. From little he saw on Luka's Hito, he can see that this man is a good judge of character. Makes sense why he disliked Luka's style of choosing companions.

Hito frowned deeply, his expression grew serious. "Do you know the Goddess Ilias?"

"Never met her. Why you ask?" Alex asked sombrely.

"She's the creator of this world, or this dimension if you want to be technical. I've heard that she lost her power due to the White Rabbit's intervention" Hito said to him. Alex's face darkened as he heard the name of the bitch that made his life difficult at first. He made a mental note to himself to never anger Alex, as he seems to hold grudge for a long time and he doesn't want to know what he'll make to take him down.

"So?" He asked Hito, wondering what he was on about.

"We need to find her again, and let her join our crew"

Silence, that was it. Alex have a blank stare on his face as he processed the word that came from Hito's mouth. He can't be serious, is he? Alex wondered to himself as he looked at the green-haired man's face, looking for a sign of deceit. No such luck. "Oh fuck, you're serious?"

Hito nodded at his question and replied "Look, I don't like this at all, but she's important. We are dealing with possibly multiverse-breaking threats looming behind the veil, and we can't afford to have conflict with each other anymore. That monster Adramalech, whatever she is, even Ilias doesn't know who she is"

Alex frowned deeply at his word. "You do know what's that purple snake girl's opinion on her, don't you?"

"I know very well that Alipheese and Ilias doesn't see eye-to-eye, but we cannot waste our energy fighting the angels and the forces in Grangold" Hito replied gravely. "I've been to the void, I've been to another dimension, I've been through hell and back. I know that something is lurking beyond this veil, just waiting for the right moment to consume us. In order for us to have a slim chance of winning, Angels and monsters must unite once again"

Alex frowned deeply at his words. He understands where Hito is going on. From little Hito and Luka told him of their adventures, Alex can deduce the danger that the world is facing right now. After all, two villages have been consumed by the void. What's stopping the corruption or whatever that inhabits it from suddenly invading? If not, the invading, what's stopping the corruption from teleporting some eldritch abomination from H.P Lovecraft's wet dream to this world?

Having the literal creator of the world at their side will not only gain support from both the human and the divine population, her intellect and power are useful for understanding beyond the veil of nothingness we have. If they find a way to restore her power, she and her angels could've been a powerful vanguard against the corruption.

"why are you telling me all this?" Alex asked him.

"if I grab anybody from this world, they surely will side with Ilias" Hito replied. He then raised his hands; his right hand was an open palm representing Ilias. "This in turn will create a very biased meeting against the Monsterkind, which will anger Alipheese greatly and the humans will mock the power of Monsterkind due to the presence of the goddess"

Hito then raised his left hand in the shape of a claw signifying the Monster races. "if I chose somebody from the Monster race, they either a follower of Ilias or still respect Ilias as their gods even though she'll be rude to them in the past and future. In worst case scenario, they might probably attack the goddess, considering her affront to the Monster Lord"

He then pointed his finger at Alex. "You on the other hand, don't give a damn about them, don't you? You're an outsider, you don't even know who Ilias's angel are, don't you?"

Alex nodded in reply. "You want me there, because I won't be biased during the negotiation?"

"Pretty much" Hito said. "Now, I'm not a religious man, but I'm sure that I'll end up taking Alice's side. Your job is to make us remain neutral or else the discussion wouldn't work."

"Why do you think I'll help you in that case?" Alex asked. "I'm only one man. They won't be intimidated by a nobody like me"

"I'll help you out in this case" Hito replied truthfully. "Promestein have no love for Ilias, but her integrity as a scientist will not allow her to be biased in the upcoming negotiation. I'll also have a friend outside that I can call for help" Hito then leans forward and whispered softly. "If all else fail, Holy magic hurts monsters very well, and dark magic hurts divine being even more, and you seem to have some energy that wasn't classified as any of them. I'm sure you and Promestein can build something"

"You're outta your damn mind" Alex said with a shake of his head. "I may not be from this dimension, but I know that goddess and lords ain't some pushover. I gotta need more than that to actually pose a threat to them" Alex then raised his right hand, shaping a pistol with his fingers and aiming the finger gun at the man. "Besides, why the hell do you think Ilias would accept your invitation? I've read her bible. That bitch ain't gonna come to a fucking Monster convention all alone. Hell, do you even know where she is?"

Hito sighed quietly to himself. "better have more friends than foes" He said, his eyes gesturing toward the eldritch librarian behind the desk. Cornelia is now reading a book under the lamp light, her deep blue eyes flitted across the papers and her many tentacles undulating underneath the table, doing unspeakable eldritch things to her…thing.

"fuck it" Alex said to himself quietly. "If we're gonna pull this shit off, we better put these girls to work"

"I don't think prostitution is a viable venue of fortune for these girls" Hito replied.

"I mean giving them orders and managing them ya daft fuck" Alex replied sharply. "As far as I see it, this place is nothing more than a large hotel for Monster Girls. Unless you charge them for food and lodging, they won't be of any use at all. Someone needs to stay here and manage them. Send them out for missions to gather materials that can't be made or grown in this castle"

"I don't think they'll be happy with that" Hito replied curtly. The monster girls that lived here is happy because they weren't truly at work. All they have to do is to stay here and look pretty. The magical yet almost robotic army of maids catered for all of their needs. Some would argue that the plant-based monsters are the one providing the food, but in reality, they simply helped the production of food using their magic. They didn't actively tend the crops nor the animals that was inside the castle.

Hito knows that one of the main reasons why people joined Luka is not for his dick, but for his kindness. What's the risk? Endure a beating of a lifetime and in return you'll live in a castle with an army of maids to cater to your need while you spend your days chasing after the remaining men on the castle and entertaining yourself with whatever this castle has. It's like a freaking vacation compared to their daily wild life outside.

"Fuck off" Alex replied gruffly. "If the world is in deep shit like you claimed earlier, no price is too high. If they felt like they can't take it anymore, they can fuck off. We need soldiers, not some dumb eldritch abomination masquerading as succubus"

Hito pondered at his answer. That is true, he can feel it in his bones, a looming sense of dread that kept poking inside the marrow and whispering at the back of his mind. However, who would be the one who can lead them? Luka's too busy running around at the outside adventuring and-

Hito wanted to slap himself for not thinking this earlier. That guy even has the title 'King' in his name! "We could ask the King of San Ilia to help us administrate this castle. Medal Queen's a good candidate too"

"And you have that princess from Sabasa who's an accomplished swordsman" Alex replied. "She can be their instructors"

Hito nodded, agreeing with him. This is actually a logical course of action to be fair. Would make things easier for Luka and the gang when shit hit the proverbial fan. Then again, there's still the same glaring problem of recruiting Ilias to the fold. "This is good idea. However, we still need Ilia's support in our adventure"

"I can't build a holy cannon out of sticks and stones" Alex replied. "Unless, I have full cooperation and free range for all the equipment this castle has. Better have a dedicated squad to subdue Ilias than relying on me alone"

"I'll see what I can do" Hito replied. "But then again, this is not under my jurisdiction. We need to ask Luka's permission for this"

Unseen to anyone's eyes, Alex groaned inwardly at the new layer of bureaucracy he has to pass. "Next time then. You know when he'll come back again? Can't have a big discussion like this if the owner himself ain't here"

Hito averted his gaze, setting his sight upon a picture on a wall nearby. He appears to be lost in thought for a moment, then his eyes refocused into the present day. "Maybe next week. He's been fighting for a long time. He'll probably needed rest soon"

Next week, 7 days before he can speak with Luka. 7 days for him to prepare a proper argument in his part. Alex can't believe his luck. If this little negotiation worked, he will be allowed access to more resources than he currently has as a sell sword for hire. If not, he can still make himself a power player in the castle, making his job easier in the future.

Alex suppresses the urge to grin. There's so much shit that could go wrong. But then again, you miss 100% of the shot you didn't take. Besides, he really needed a better supply of cash and equipment than his normal source (bounties and fighting random MGs). What better source than an organization with hundreds of unique soldiers under your employ?

"Alright"


	8. Chapter 8

14xx/8/18

199 days since arrival…

Two weeks have passed ever since I wrote in this journal last time. Holy shit, this thing is thick. I bet this thing can stop a point-blank shot from a 9mm. I don't want to test that theory out though, this is the only proof of my existence if I somehow got eaten alive by a fucking MG. I wonder if I could make a copy if shit hit the fan. They don't have printing machine for some reason.

So yeah, what the cinnamon toast fuck am I doing in the last two weeks? Nothing much, except playing 4d-politic-chess-backgammon with the situation around me. I hated politic, but I cannot escape it considering my work has to end up working with leaders and such.

Trust me, people hated my idea. They have enough of paperwork, the reason they joined with Luka in the first place is because they wanted to have some action, not to go and sit in a table and do the same boring shit they've been doing for the last century. But they also conceded that the situation is much direr than any small kingdom can deal with. Luka at this point is a lesser duke considering his follower count and his wealth, so he needed as many helps as he can to help manage his forces. Princess Sara is no longer a princess but still has limitless support from her people, Pope Peter told me that his kingdom is running dry on national soldiers, and Medallion queen is simply too small to actually pose a fighting force in the big picture.

So, like it or not, these people have to band together and rebuild their forces for the future conflict. As a representative of the SDM-Mithra Alliance, I decided that it would be the greatest opportunity to grab King Espen and help him be part of the alliance as well. Considering the fact that he once was the guardian of some really legendary weapons (he didn't divulge the location of each weapon, but he has them in mind in case shit hit the fan). Thankfully, it is much easier than I expected. Undead as he is, he is still an ancient king, a noble like they are. Pope Peter recognized him as an ancient vassal of the Kingdom of Ilia, so he approved of this alliance. King Espen has no qualm being under his rule, remembering his oath to the great-grandfather of Pope Peter.

Now that the Alliance is now made, it is clear to everyone that some serious rework must be done. The thugs that Princess Sara hired is actually part of a bandit faction near the river and has been preying on the shipping line at the river connecting to the sea. The city still has supplies, but the river is one of the safest and fastest form of supply lines over the land-based supply line. What kind of idiot enjoys carrying a fuckton of gold and steel crossing over a massive, hot, dry-ass desert teeming with MGs? San Ilia is running out of professional troops considering their massive war with Grangold. If they broke the line up there, the capital would've probably been in deep shit. And the Ilia Continent has next to no quality national troops on their own, relying mostly on adventurer's (fancy way of saying mercenaries). Mercenaries are good in short term, but having a national troop would be much better in the long run.

Don't get me started on Mithra.

So basically, we are boned on the military perspective. But it ain't the last day of Berlin 1944 kind of boned. It's just a matter of dealing with shit that's all. The Monster Girls are another issue though. Hito is right; they really didn't enjoy being bossed around. In more way than one, they are simply wild animals with tribalistic mindset. It was Luka and Hito's words that finally convinced them to pledge their loyalty.

Luka is surprisingly more mature than I thought. When I asked him why he recruited basically wild animals, he told me that they have no allegiance at all, hence making it easy for him to control them in battle. Considering the menagerie of fighters that followed him throughout the battle, he got a point. His one problem though, is that he knows nothing about managing people. He is a good combat leader if what Hito said is true, but he is no diplomat or general.

This is where the alliance came in.

Truth to be told, I felt like I'm about to disturb a hornet's nest. After all, politic is an ugly thing, uglier its visage is during this time of the century. It is a good fortune that Luka somehow manages to convince everyone to join in his little crusade. Crazy kid has charisma to match.

We have a set of goals that we wished to achieve. One, reinvigorate the national army and reduce reliance on mercenaries. Second, to build up an industry sector to strengthen the kingdom in economy, defence and quality of life. Third, to acquire the loyalty of the surrounding MGs population to not attack the locals when shit hit the fan. The last one is a pain in the ass to deal with. MGs prey on humans for their seed, and human prey on them for goods and sport. To them, fighting Monster Girls are the rite of passage for any budding warrior. This level of expected hostility would be detrimental for the entire operation.

As King Espen is my primary ally, I decided to invest into his kingdom. Agriculturally, Mithra's little basin is a mess. No water, only dry lands for miles away with only a simple run-down village as the main overall population of the kingdom. However, it is a perfect area for heavy industry as well as mining. Even if we retake Pornof and repurposed it to its former glory, we are still lacking of many other essentials materials.

For this reason, I hired several ground-based MGs to dig inside the ground for samples. Needed to know if they have any valuable ores at all. If not, I can build a factory on top of it. If yes, I'll make a mine. I received the result around three days ago, and by god I'm happy for it. You see, underground, Mithra has a large deposit of iron and coal, with some copper to boot. This is exactly the material that I needed to start an industrial revolution.

Oil would be amazing, but magic will have to do.

So, while I was waiting for the explorers to probe the land underneath Mithra, I decided to help out Princess Sara with her bandit problem. Those bastards are hidden inside the mountain range overlooking the main river leading toward Sabasa city. It wasn't that deep inside, but it has a really good view over the river and the sea. They already have trebuchets and ballista aimed at the river (cannons are too heavy to be carried up there) and more construction are in progress.

Shame that those are made from wood.

Pretty easy though once you take out the outpost and the watchtowers guarding the edge. So, me and a group of assassins led by this chick named Salaan cleared out the outpost in record time, right at the east ridge of the mountain. Then, when morning break, we bombed the exit and flooded the fucking compound with poison gas. Chlorine is one hell of a poison, burns them from inside out. We even used the harpies that we paid to fly us into the mountainside to create a strong enough wind to keep the gas inside, forcing those bandits to run out like rats. When in doubt, gas their ass.

It worked like a dream; those poor fools stumbled out of their tents choking on their own blood, the poison slowly dissolving their lungs as they gasped for air only to inhale more of those noxious cloud. You can't even lie down and hope for the oxygen on the ground. Shits heavy as fuck, that's why we have to use some wind jutsu shit to blow those gas out to the sea. Poor fools, it was almost pitiful seeing them like that.

The survivors, the one whom are on the outskirt have fled down toward the river, right at the hand of Princess Sara. It was too effective, only around 10 people escaped. Back during my first week in this world, I do remember using smoke to try and smoke some bandits out. As my order is to simply eliminate them, I do so with upmost efficiency.

Unfortunately for me, Princess Sara is so disturbed by what see saw that she outright banned the usage of poison gas on future conflict. I never thought that I would end up adding a line from Geneva Convention to this world's book of law. Oh well, at least the problem is settled and I got paid a lot today. The loot inside the fort was phenomenal, seems like they've been here for a long time too.

Princess Sara wanted to pursue them even further out to the sea, but I advised her to focus on getting back onto the throne. While I support democracy, her kingdom isn't ready for such a sudden change. What they needed is a slow, transitional process from an absolute monarchy, and try to gradually change it into a democracy at one point. Medallion Queen asked why though, considering that it'll take too much effort. I told her that while monarchy is a good idea for now, she's still human, and human can die. If she dies, who the hell would lead the country? Its not like she has any fucking heir in her belly or some shit.

Then Hito asked Luka if he wanted to sire a royalty. Jesus, he's as tactless as my own Hito is.

Anyway, there's no really good way to go about it to be honest. I always hated politicians. They always try to deflect the blame onto one another, never taking responsibility for their action. I may not agree with the idea of absolute monarchy, but the alternative is to let the people, whom are mostly led by emotion rather than actual critical thought, choose a leader from the very same population to lead them, whom probably has never has any actual experience or knowledge to lead anything out of a fucking paper bag.

Democracy is good in the long run if you're a human. But what we needed now is a strong, firm leader, not a bush-whacking representative.

I don't know much about Princess Sara to be honest, but she's the official crown of Sabasa, and I don't think other monarchs would take kindly to some unknown whippersnapper sitting on her throne. It was bad enough that I am one of the de-facto advisors of the alliance, thus painting a large bullseye on my ass, the fact that I have no men of my own makes it even worse. Latina and Sophie are the only one that I can reliably call as my own.

Oh well, I've been through worst. Just have to play my cards right.


End file.
